Abstract

This research concerned the fatigue strength of orthotropic steel decks of road bridges. It followed two phases that were concerned with the collection of traffic data and measurement of stresses produced in bridges. Fatigue tests under constant and variable amplitude were carried out on stiffener-plate connections, stiffener-stiffener connections with U and V shapes, and stiffener cross-beam connections. From the test results and calculations, some conclusions can be drawn which are directly usable in bridge design. However, some unexpected behaviour occurred and some connections need further investigation.